1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data recorder for recording data on a removable recording medium such as a COMPACT FLASH™.
The present invention also relates to an electronic camera that comprises the data recorder.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a recording medium that stores a program for operating a computer as the data recorder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, COMPACT FLASHES™ have been well known as media for storing data including images and music. These COMPACT FLASHES™ consist generally of an on-chip buffer for exchanging data with exterior, a flash memory for storing data in a nonvolatile fashion, and a control unit for performing data transfer between the on-chip buffer and the flash memory.
Such COMPACT FLASHES™ vary greatly with vendors and with products in the capacities of their on-chip buffers and the sequences of recording controls within the COMPACT FLASHES™.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 7-226095 discloses a COMPACT FLASH™ having two on-chip buffers. Here, the two on-chip buffers can be switched alternately so that the accumulation of data into the on-chip buffers, which is originated from exterior, and the writing of data to the flash memory are performed simultaneously in parallel.
Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 8-77066 discloses a COMPACT FLASH™ in which a plurality of on-chip buffers is provided for the sake of more efficient recording operations.
As stated above, COMPACT FLASHES™ vary greatly according to vendors and with products in the capacities of their on-chip buffers and the sequences of recording controls inside. Therefore, if an external data recorder and a COMPACT FLASH™ accidentally go out of recording operation timing, invalid latency can occur frequently. Such latency becomes a major cause of delay in completing recording operations.
Electronic cameras and data recorders, however, are very often used with unknown COMPACT FLASHES™ or new COMPACT FLASHES™. This makes it extremely difficult for the electronic cameras and data recorders to be fully adjusted to appropriate recording operation timing in advance.